Earth Shine

by Jerry Ahern

  Rourke and Shaw met the ambulance as it pulled next to the command center. Dale got out and asked, “Did it work?”

  Rourke smiled and clutched Dale’s shoulder, “Perfectly,” he said. “You did a good job, Dale.”

  Examining Livingston’s body, Shaw said, “Definitely an energy weapon John.”

  Rourke stepped to the body and peered at the gaping wound in Livingston’s chest. “Yes, and I’ve seen this burn pattern before Tim. This is not the same pattern we saw at the assassination attempt on Michael. The energy output of this weapon is different. Tim, I want Livingston’s body to have a full autopsy, and I want the tissue examined closely. I’m talking electron microscope. I want to see the cellular disruption and compare it to reports in the Mid-Wake archives.”

  “You think you’ve see this pattern before?” Shaw asked.

  Rourke nodded with a concerned frown on his face. “Yes, I believe so. If I’m right, we have just added another player to the game.”

  “What’s your gut telling you John?”

  “If I’m right, and analysis will prove it one way or another, this pattern will match a Russian energy blast. That, however, is an issue we will deal with at a later date. Right now, we have to figure out how to get Paul and Jack rescued. Have there been any demands from the hostage takers yet?”

  Shaw shook his head, “Agent Gretski, the negotiator, says no. He is waiting for contact from the bad guys.”

  “Okay,” Rourke said after a moment of pondering, “are your teams in position?”

  “They are,” Shaw said. “However, from the time we give the order to breach the house, getting to the house is the problem. There is too much open ground; it could give the bad guys several seconds to realize the attack is underway and kill Paul as well as themselves.”

  Chapter Thirty

  The phone rang on the coffee table; Richard pushed the speaker button, “Layne, I thought we had agreed that I would call you when I had something to communicate.”

  “Richard, I’m sorry to deviate from your instructions, but I’ve just been made aware of a medical condition that Mr. Rubenstein suffers from. I think you need to know about it.”

  Richard looked at Paul who had appeared to be resting on the floor, slumped to one side for the last several minutes. Richard went to Paul and checked his pulse; Paul stirred. “Okay, Layne, what is this medical condition?”

  “Mrs. Rubenstein has just advised me that Mr. Rubenstein takes a prescription medication for a heart condition,” Gretski lied, reading the script he had been handed. “He had an episode two days ago, and his doctor has ordered an immediate change in his prescription. Mrs. Rubenstein had gone to the pharmacy to pick it up. I have confirmed this with his cardiologist who said it is imperative the new medicine be administered immediately, or Mr. Rubenstein could suffer a massive and potentially fatal cardiac event within the next several hours. The cardiologist has also requested he be allowed to examine Mr. Rubenstein.”

  “I’ll call you back, Layne,” Richard said and disconnected. He stood for a moment, thinking. “What do you say about this Mr. Rubenstein?”

  “I did have an event,” Paul lied. “I was not feeling well and went in for a checkup. They did an EKG and took some blood. I was told they would let us know something as soon as the reports came in. We got the call this morning from the doctor, and Annie insisted I stay here while she picked up the medication. The doctor, I don’t remember his name, Annie dealt with it; he told us I needed to be on the medication as soon as possible and to come back in this evening for an examination.”

  “Govno!” Richard shouted. Slowly, drawing out the words, he whispered, “Sookin syn,” as he wiped one hand over his face. Paul smiled to himself; he had been right about the accent. Govno means “shit” in Russian, and “sookin syn” means “son of a bitch.” Switching back to English after taking a series of deep breaths, Richard smiled at Paul.

  “Actually Mr. Rubenstein, this improves my situation. The plan called for us securing your family and you. Circumstances, however, prevented that; now, I can increase my number of hostages, while insuring your own good health.” Richard punched the speaker button on the telephone again.

  “Yes Richard,” Gretski answered immediately.

  “Okay Layne, as a ... what do you people call it? As a sign of my good faith, you may send the doctor in.”

  “Thank you Richard; the Doctor asked if it would be permissible to have an assistant also to help examine Mr. Rubenstein should he go into a crisis. I assume this is very stressful for him.”

  “Sure, why not?” Richard smiled. “The more the merrier but, Layne, no tricks.”

  “Of course not, I’ll call you back and let you know when to expect them,” Gretski said and held up a thumb.

  Rourke slapped him on the back when Gretski killed the connection and said, “Good job.” Turning to Shaw, he said, “Okay, let’s get working on this. I think we can get Paul and Jack out of there now. Tim, I need a favor.” Grabbing a piece of paper and scribbling a short message, he handed the note to Shaw. “Can you get this message to this man at this address?”

  Shaw read the address and note, “Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

  Rourke nodded, “I am. Get him here, and I mean as soon as possible.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Akiro Kuriname had changed into a set of scrubs; Rourke was now wearing scrubs and a long-sleeved white coat. It was the kind traditionally reserved for doctors with the title MD or DO, not the short white coats worn by medical students. Rourke had his hair grayed and, with some minor makeup applied, looked much older. Rourke asked, “Akiro, how’s the range of motion in your left arm?”

  Kuriname stood and made a series of fast and powerful movements with both arms ending up in a powerful stance. “John, I can do this. Probably not alone but with your help, we can rescue your people.” Rourke nodded.

  “Then, follow my lead,” Rourke said. “We’re going to have to improvise a lot.”

  “What is the plan?” Akiro asked.

  “That’s what I’m talking about. The only plan we have is to kill or capture the bad guys and rescue Paul and Jack. I don’t have a good idea of exactly HOW that we’re going to do it. Just be ready, and when I move, you move. Okay, Agent Gretski, make your call. Tell them doctors Johnson and Chu will be arriving within 20 minutes. They will be unarmed, carrying two medical bags and one defibulator, just in case.”

  Gretski made the call. Eighteen minutes later, a black sedan with County Medical Examiner imprinted on the side pulled up in front of Paul’s home. Rourke and Kuriname, in light-blue scrubs and white coats, exited from the back seat with their equipment, and the sedan pulled away, circled the cul-de-sac, and left the area. The “aged” Rourke slowly carried one bag, while the Kuriname had a large medical kit plus a hard case that said “AED” in large letters. As they entered the front porch, the door opened, and they were ordered to place the three containers on the floor and to step back. Complying, they waited as the bags were carried inside and searched.

  When they were told to come in, Rourke saw Paul sitting hog-tied on the floor, one armed man watching the back of the house and the second covering the front. Richard stood next to Paul, covering the three of them with an energy rifle. The man from the back of the house came forward, and Rourke and his “assistant” were roughly searched for weapons. Richard, pointing at the AED, said, “Explain this device to me.”

  Rourke picked up the bag he had carried inside, walked to Paul, and knelt down. Looking up at Richard, he said, “Give me a moment to check my patient.” Looking at Paul, he saw a slight smile. Pulling his stethoscope, Rourke began his “examination.”

  After a moment of checking his vital signs, Rourke turned and told Richard, “I am Doctor Johnson, Mr. Rubenstein’s cardiologist. This is my assistant Dr. Chu. The device is a portable heart defibrillator. Should we have an event, it will help restore the natural rhythm of the heart should the patient be
gin to experience either a dangerous arrhythmia or cardiac arrest.”

  “It will only be used should the patient suffer an event since the electrical shock they produce can damage a beating heart. This defibrillator sends out an electrical shock roughly 60 to 100 times per minute. As these shocks pass through the sections of the heart, muscles contract and make the heart beat. When a person is in cardiac arrest, time is of the essence. It has a battery inside that carries a charge, but I’d like Dr. Chu to go ahead and plug it into a wall socket just for safety’s sake, if that’s alright. Mere minutes can be the difference between full recovery, death, or permanent damage.”

  Richard nodded, and “Dr. Chu” placed the heavy case on the coffee table, pulled a long, heavy extension cord from the case, and plugged one end into the device and the second into the wall. Pulling a blood pressure cuff from the bag, Rourke wrapped it around Paul’s upper left arm and pumped it up. Placing the stethoscope on the pulse junction at Paul’s elbow, he began slowly releasing the pressure and watching the dial. Rourke frowned and performed the procedure a second time. “I must ask that these restraints be removed; the constrictions and the stress of this situation are causing serious problems with his blood pressure, and I need to administer an injection immediately. Can one of you bring me a glass of water from the kitchen?” No one moved.

  Richard said, “Let me see the syringe and the medicine.” Rourke handed him the syringe hard case with two syringes, one medicine bottle with pills and two vials of clear liquid. Rourke explained as he placed a thermometer in Paul’s mouth, “The first injection will be a thrombolytic; these drugs are also called clot busters. They help dissolve a blood clot that’s blocking blood flow to your heart. The earlier you receive a thrombolytic drug following a heart attack, the greater the chance you will survive and lessen the damage to your heart.”

  “This pill is nitroglycerin which is used to treat chest pain or angina, temporarily opening arterial blood vessels and improving blood flow to and from your heart. Angina, or angina pectoris, is the pain or discomfort that occurs when the heart muscle’s demand for oxygen exceeds the supply. Beta blockers, nitrates, or calcium channel blockers may be used to control angina. I know you are experiencing some level of discomfort, are you not Mr. Rubenstein?”

  Paul nodded. Rourke continued, “The second injection is of Streptokinase, a protein produced by beta-hemolytic streptococci. It inhibits the tissue destroying machinery of the body. There are two drawbacks for streptokinase therapy; the first is if there has been a previous administration of the drug, I would declare a contraindication for a second because of the risk of anaphylaxis. Secondly, the thrombolytic actions are relatively nonspecific and can result in systemic fibrinolysis. That is the disintegration or dissolution of fibrin, especially by enzymatic action.”

  “Now about that water,” he said looking at Richard, “are you getting it or should I get it myself?”

  “Why don’t you do that Doctor?” Richard said with a smirk.

  “Fine, I shall. May I remove these restraints? I assure you he is in no shape to present a threat to you or anyone right now.”

  Richard nodded, and Rourke searched the medical bag. “Dr. Chu, excuse me; do you have a pair of scissors in your bag? Mine aren’t here, and I don’t think this gentleman would be comfortable if I pulled out a scalpel.” Chu dug in his bag, handed a pair of long scissors to Rourke, and stepped back. Rourke cut the ties first from Paul’s feet and then from his wrists, laid the scissors on the floor, and asked, “Dr. Chu, would you help me sit Mr. Rubenstein up on this footstool.” As Paul rubbed feeling back into his wrists, he was sat on the stool. “Now, where do you keep your drinking glasses Mr. Rubenstein?”

  Paul answered, “Last cupboard on the left, the small ones are on the top shelf.” Rourke locked eyes with Kuriname and winked. Without waiting for permission, Rourke turned to the kitchen, turned on the faucet, and opened the cupboard door. The ‘old’ doctor made a show of stretching and reaching onto the top shelf, finding what he was seeking. Rourke hollered over his shoulder, “Yes, I found it.” Then, Rourke turned and fired a Metalifed four-inch Colt Lawman .357 into the face of the man who had followed him into the kitchen.

  Dr. Chu, Akiro Kuriname, exploded into action with a leg sweep that dumped the second man on his ass just before he delivered a crushing stomp to the man’s esophagus and launched a spinning kick in the opposite direction that slammed into Richard’s weapon. Paul also was in motion, having snatched the long-handled scissors up, driving them into Richard’s crotch, and throwing himself to one side out of the blast range of Richard’s weapon. Rourke swung around the kitchen door and quick tapped two 158 grain jacketed hollow point rounds, ripping into Richard’s face and spraying the room with brains, bone, and blood. Paul jumped up and ran to the garage, pulled down the stairs, and hollered, “Jack!”

  Outside, the screech of tires from responding units could be heard. Paul returned with Jack who ran to Rourke. “Grandpa, you did it. You saved us.”

  Rourke smiled hugging his grandson, “I could not have done it without your Dad and this gentleman. Paul, Jack, this is my friend, Akiro Kuriname.” Kuriname bowed.

  “I have to ask,” Kuriname turned to Rourke. “How did you come up with a gun?”

  “I didn’t have to come up with it,” Rourke said with a smile. “It was already there; I just had to figure out how to get to it.”

  “Several years ago,” Paul said, “John taught me a valuable lesson. Today, it finally was put into play. John was injured in one of the operations, nothing serious but it had him laid up for a while.”

  “I realized,” Rourke said, “I could not defend myself physically. That was a shocking realization for me, and I didn’t like it. My mobility was grossly limited for several weeks; Paul helped me position weapons in every room of my house.”

  Paul said, “John told me he didn’t want to be any further away from a gun than two steps and a stumble.”

  “We have raised our kids around weapons,” Rourke continued. “They know how to shoot, and they know the dangers of having live weapons around. They know they can ask to see any weapon, and we’ll safe the weapon and answer any questions they may have about the weapon. They also know a loaded gun is a dangerous tool that must be respected; they know a loaded gun can take a life, but they also know it may be the only way to save a life.”

  “Today, this loaded gun took two lives, but it saved four others,” Rourke handed the .357 to Paul. “Looks like you need to clean and reload this, my friend.”

  Paul said, “Yep, that’s about like you John. Come to my house, make a mess I have to clean up, shoot my bullets, and make me clean my own weapon.”

  Rourke smiled and placed his hand on Rubenstein’s shoulder, “Like I’ve always told you Paul, you have to plan ahead.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Brigadier General Jimmy “J.J.” Jones cut an imposing figure, six feet four inches tall and two hundred sixty five pounds of hard muscle with a perpetual five o’clock shadow that extended from his jawline to the top of his shaven head. His starched fatigues accentuated his physique, and while, physically, the picture of the consummate military professional, he was in fact both a traitor and a pervert. However, he was also a cunning bastard who had survived repeated attempted coup d’états and still remained the number two person in the Hawaiian Provincial Guard which had replaced the National Guard after the Night of the War.

  Today, he was briefing a combined joint operation of the Provincial Guard, state and county law enforcement agents, and Secret Service Special Agents. Operating under the direct order of Acting President Darkwater, the mission was to “root out enemy agents located within the affected area with extreme prejudice.”

  Standing at the front of the briefing room in front of a large framed map of the area, he cleared his throat for effect and began, “Gentlemen, satellite imagery has identified this as the site of our operation. Our intelligence reports include a lot of docume
ntation from the early construction diagrams, newspaper accounts, and activity reports of this area during the 20th Century. Historically, this particular area was identified as the Waiāhole Ditch and Tunnel System, and is located on the eastern side of the Waiāhole Forest Reserve area. The system was originally conceived in about 1905 as a way to transport surface water from the wetter windward side of the island to the sugar cane fields on the drier leeward side. It had been abandoned after the Night of the War.”

  “The main tunnel portion of the system was constructed through the Koolau Mountains from 1913 to 1916. Although it was originally designed to transport surface waters, high level water and dike impounded ground water was encountered during the construction of the tunnel. Between 1925 and 1935, additional tunnels, the Kahana, Waikane #1, Waikane #2, and the Uwau Main Tunnels were developed to collect the high level water. In 1964, the Uwau Tunnel was extended 177 feet past the crest of the Koolau Range. As the system collected more dike water, it collected less surface water.”

  “The area was damaged and never really functioned again after the Night of the War. Several modernizations were completed over the centuries, utilizing all or some of the original system; when the final changes were finished 70 years ago, it completely bypassed the entire older system which was then totally abandoned.”

  Tim Shaw stood and raised his hand, “General...”

  “Yes, Agent Shaw,” Jones said, his irritation at being interrupted clear to everyone in the room.

  Shaw plunged on, “What is this system made up of, exactly?”